Japanese politeness.
Usually, if someone asks me how it is in Japan so I say, "Just like in Germany, too." This is of course a massless understatement - I just need to open the window to realize that I am not in Germany, but it expresses something fundamental from: There a very few exceptions, not a giant gap.
But today I fell into one of these exceptions. 'm Still on the way, climb out.
But stories must be told first. So
Today we celebrated Natsumis birthday (she had on 30 July, but last week so many exams that we celebrated until today). First we were in the karaoke (where it was still normal). But then ... then we wanted to go eat.
The restaurant, in which we really wanted was closed for a private event. So we are first on running aimlessly. We have passed the Morricone. We then sat down outside. The waiter came, we had not decided yet, so we have him sent away.
Now there was some indecision. Natsuki Natsumi and did not want to stay in Morricone (from me as yet unexplained reasons). But as we sat there nunmal and the waiter was already come here (even though we had ordered anything), Anja and I found that we could not leave. We are then going to the toilet first, shaking his head and laughing (because it was still funny). When we came back, the two Japanese women, however, already packed up their stuff again and were ready to go. We went too. However, so striking that Anja and I almost had died of shame.
We, as a well educated Western Europeans, had already slipped away when we. We have forged a plan on how to come off best unremarkable. We would not know how Natsuki Natsumi and even waited until we were full strength again, and would then be gone.
And then the two are also gone slowly.
We will be less in the 3rd Restaurant remained, but that also had its downside - I had to wait 40 minutes on my pizza, which is very unusual for Japan. Normally, there's food within 10 min. The other was the way to get their food. When I have finished with the pizza had, she came after all.
But I could then complain to the questionnaire - after dinner we were given a questionnaire to complete and mail to us. This was the first time that someone asked me whether the waiter would have smiled.
*** On the way home had Anja and I went a little discussion about Japanese courtesy.
Japanese politeness runs in very limited paths. There is a separate language politeness (Keigo), etc. of the shop assistants, waiters used to be. Keigo is not to learn so very serious, but the application is quite difficult because there are no fixed rules.
This is a courtesy to the Japanese language to its own, brutal honesty and directness, which is found the well-educated middle European (ie ME), sometimes like a punch in the stomach.
When deprived of the Japanese language and they must be expressed in a foreign language in which they can not save into solid, polite formulas, namely the not polite. Sun Natsuki Anja said today that she would behave like a primary student. That was not polite or appropriate, however, meant not bad.
This could be explained with the fact that not hostile to Japan at the grassroots level. When ready to make up a Japanese wants, he speaks Keigo with you (that is more than polite). Perhaps the immediacy of an expression is the fact that they are actually very happy to have it. Unfortunately, this is very rude in German culture.
Japanese are not particularly polite. The front of us, only so because it is Keigo.
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